Jeramiah Sullivan felt quite nervous before Midland High’s game against Smithson Valley. The senior would make his first start of his career -- one of many Bulldogs experiencing varsity pressure for the first time.

But Sullivan’s first-game experience differed from almost every one of his teammates. On the first defensive snap of the game, the Rangers’ quarterback let the ball fly and it came directly at Sullivan. Then, in what can only be considered appropriate serendipity, the cornerback, and former quarterback, made the right read and jumped the route for an interception.

“It felt so good, I was so happy,” Sullivan said. “(I was) so excited he actually threw it my way.”

A few years prior, Sullivan would have never thought he’d be on the receiving end of a throw, let alone defending one. As a sophomore, Sullivan played quarterback and competed with now MHS starter, Ryan Goodrum for time at the position.

But at the beginning of his sophomore year, it was clear Goodrum had the advantage in the quarterback battle for the class of 2015. So when the coaching staff suggested Sullivan move to safety, he jumped at the opportunity.

“I had really been behind Goodrum the whole time,” Sullivan said. “I was really just happy to have a chance to play.”

A chance he had, but the path to get there involved some major adjustments to his physical skills and football mentality. Delivering hits did not come naturally to Sullivan; he described himself as “soft” in the beginning. It took him almost a year to enjoy delivering a big hit.

Sullivan said he was shell-shocked by all of the reads and responsibilities a safety had at the beginning of each play. It took almost two full years, by the end of his junior season, when he felt completely comfortable examining the field from the opposite side.

These adjustments were labored toward willfully. But the physical side, notably, improving his speed, came with more resistance. Running track had been recommended to Sullivan a few times to boost his quickness, but he wanted no part of that.

Eventually he relented when a coach instructed him to go to a practice one afternoon, but joy on the track didn’t come easily. Sullivan remembers after one practice sophomore year his shin splints were so bad that he fell on the side of the track and couldn’t lift himself up.

Quite a few more shin splints later and some medals too, Sullivan now credits the experience for decreasing his 40-yard dash time significantly.

“It helped me so much,” Sullivan said. “I always thought I could run, but I never really could.”

The coaching staff asked Sullivan to make the switch to corner this offseason, and it’s been a natural fit. Sullivan’s experience at quarterback gives him an excellent understanding of routes and how to read a quarterback. It also gives him a needed short memory.

“A quarterback has to be able to move onto the next play and so does a corner, Yenzer said. “If you play long enough you’re going to throw an interception at quarterback. If you play long enough, you’re going to get your butt beat deep playing corner.”

Sullivan did not have to draw on his mental fortitude against Smithson Valley. After his early interception, the senior added another pick later in the game along with a tackle for loss. Both of his interceptions came at critical times in the contest, and he played a large role in the Bulldogs holding the Rangers to 172 passing yards in a game that ended in double overtime.

For Sullivan, the stats are a representation of his hard work, and he hopes there are many games like those to come. As for Yenzer -- his former position coach at quarterback -- he could not be more pleased to see Sullivan succeed.

“He’s a guy real dear to my heart,” Yenzer said. “He was willing to make that transition for the team. From a coaching perspective, it’s really gratifying to see a guy work as hard as Jermiah has worked and succeed.”

Follow Chris on Twitter: ChrisHummer_MRT

THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT

El Paso Montwood

Record: 0-1

About the Rams: El Paso Montwood struggled against Las Cruces in its season opener last week, a 44-18 loss. The Rams fell behind quickly, and were down 37-6 at halftime. Montwood played much better after the half, but the team showed its inexperience against the Bulldawgs, who have won two straight state titles in New Mexico. The Rams employ an aggressive defensive formation, stacking the box and forcing teams to throw against them. On offense, they threw the ball a lot against the Bulldogs. But that can, in part, be attributed to how far behind the team was.

MHS coach Craig Yenzer on the Rams: “Their coaching staff has been around a long time, they’re well respected. They’re pretty much a perennial playoff team from El Paso. A lot of people talk bad about El Paso football, but it’s much improved. The athletes are good and the coaching through the years is second to none.”

Bulldog Bites

- Midland High delivered Smithson Valley its first regular-season loss in three years Friday. The Rangers were a perfect 20-0 in the regular season the past two years. Since 2010, they were 38-2 prior to postseason play. The Bulldogs delivered a very rare loss to the Rangers, boosting the standard of the program at the same time. “The confidence level you get from that kind of win, as long as you humbly handle that, could be big down the way,” Midland High head coach Craig Yenzer said.”

- There may not be one standout receiver for Midland High this year, but the team is deep enough to make up for it. Seven different Bulldog players caught a pass Friday against Smithson Valley, and six of them had at least 10 yards receiving. It wasn’t just wide outs that showed an aptitude for catching passes either. Tight end Trevor Abney led the team with four catches for 60 yards, while running back Darius Reed had 44 yards receiving and a touchdown. The deep ball was also a factor for Midland High. Senior wide receiver Kahlyl Wynn showed great speed in the third quarter, turning a simple post route into a 58-yard touchdown.

- Special teams play is often overlooked by fans, but be sure the Bulldogs will be focused on that facet of the game this week. The Bulldogs lost two fumbles on kick returns, had two kicks blocked along with an additional PAT clanging off the upright, a point that would have allowed MHS to avoid overtime. Yenzer said it’s an area the team will focus intently on this week, and the Bulldogs spent 20 minutes of their practice Tuesday working through the nuances of special teams. Without the errors in the return and kick game Friday, Midland High would have won rather easily. Yenzer said he doesn’t expect those problems to occur again this year.

- The first thing Yenzer mentioned about his team’s performance Friday night was the player’s character. Midland High turned a 17-7 deficit into an overtime appearance. Then in the second overtime, the Bulldogs transformed a fourth-and-16 into the go-ahead touchdown two plays later. And shortly after that, made a goal-line stand to win the game. “(They have a) never say die attitude,” Yenzer said. “You’re either 100 percent in or you’re 100 percent out, and we feel like we have a football team that’s 100 percent in.”

- The Bulldogs’ double overtime win over Smithson Valley was the school’s sixth multiple overtime win in program history. Midland High is 5-1 in those games.

Offensive MVP

Darrius Reed, RB, Sr.

Reed ran for 77 yards, had 44 more yards on receptions and scored three touchdowns, including the game-winning score. He came up huge in overtime when MHS needed him the most.

Defensive MVP

Jeramiah Sullivan, CB, Sr.

He snagged a pair of interceptions, with each coming at a critical time in the contest. He also had a tackle for loss.

Special Teams MVP

Nicky Hoang, LB, Sr.

Hoang recorded three tackles and made a huge tackle on a kickoff return from the backside that prevented a likely touchdown.